


Science and Royalty

by mskamalakhan (blxegansey)



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: AU, F/M, Fluff, Princess AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-18
Updated: 2015-07-18
Packaged: 2018-04-09 23:59:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4369346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blxegansey/pseuds/mskamalakhan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For the Leo Fitz Exchange<br/>Prompt: Fitz meets the girl of his dream, but what he doesn't know is that she's the princess.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Science and Royalty

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sciencebiatch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sciencebiatch/gifts).



> Lots of thanks and love to Ashleigh (jemmasclara on tumblr) for being my beta and giving me great feedback.

It was exam season and Leopold Fitz was as usual buried in dozens of books, from quantum mechanics and general relativity to computer sciences and basic chemistry. He was working harder than he ever had before and was staying up until the early hours fueled by strong coffee and energy drinks. This year’s results were even more important to him than any other year, since the Royal Academy only granted research funds to students with the highest marks.   
He hated studying in crowded public places. All the people that talked and walked around him made him really uncomfortable. At this time of the year the library was naturally filled with crowds of anxious and highly caffeinated students. Fitz, however, had no choice but to study there since Grant, his roommate and friend of five years, had just gotten back together with Skye after a series of very loud arguments, and were now busy snogging and in general being very distracting.   
Sitting at a table near the check-out counter, he was squinting his eyes at some of his electronics notes, but he had trouble understanding a single word he read as he was distracted by the girl eying him from the counter.  
He had seen her several times before during her shifts at the library. He even had one or two classes with her. But Fitz had only talked to her about academic subjects, when they were lab partners for a few experiments. That could have been because he had a crush on her.   
From the way she was looking in his direction, he thought that he probably had some mustard from his lunch left on his face or that the biochemist was looking at someone behind him.   
“Hi, Fitz.” She said on her way to the shelves behind him, proving his suspicions wrong.  
A few minutes later, he was standing in front of Jemma Simmons, failing to form a complete sentence and hopelessly avoiding eye contact with her. She, however, was warmly smiling at him and asking him about his exams. When he finally managed to say something he somehow ended up mumbling an incomprehensible string of words including dinner.  
“Sorry, what was that?” Jemma asked.  
“I said would you like to have dinner tonight?” he added after a pause, “With me?”   
“Oh,” her mouth parted with realization. She, then, sweetly added “I’d love that.”  
As Fitz was walking out of the library a few minutes later, he had two thoughts on his mind; one was that he had never been this awful at talking to people, and the other was how Jemma’s beautiful smile made him feel. 

 

###  
“Hey buddy, what’s happened to your face?” Grant was sitting on the couch leaning against his on-and-off girlfriend, who was busily typing away on her computer.   
Skye was a bubbly, kind-hearted and intelligent computer hacker-turned-IT technician that was around a lot and made friends with everyone. She was practically living with them now, despite everything that had happened recently. Ward and her had been through a rough patch but they were done fighting-at least for now- and were in a secondary honeymoon phase  
On the table in front of them, was a vase full of fresh daisies-her favorite-that Grant had brought her to make up for all the terrible lies he had told her and all the times that he had betrayed her trust.   
“Have I got mustard on my face?” Fitz felt around his face with his hand.   
“You’re smiling like a little kid who’s just walked into Disneyland.” Skye said, slapping Grant on the back of his head.  
“I’m going on a date.” Fitz said as his smile widened. “I’m going to take a shower before I head out. Skye, could you please help me prepare later?”   
He had always got along very well with Skye; they understood each other very well and he could rely on her for good advice-if she was in one of her more serious moods. Even though grant was very loyal, Skye was more honest and trustworthy than he ever was.   
“So, where are you going?” she gave him a mischievous smile while she was finding a cardigan to match his checked shirt. “A movie? Dinner? Dinner and movie?”   
“Just dinner. She’s vegan too, so we agreed on that place across the park.” He arranged his bowtie in front of the mirror. “How are things with you and Grant?”   
“I still can’t believe he left Shield for Hydra. I mean I get that they pay more and everything, but they’re pretentious and silly and frankly not that good.”   
He only gave a nonchalant hmmm in response. Skye went on talking, her voice rising and every time she got excited.   
The couple used to work together in a world-renowned security company; Skye worked in the IT section and Grant was in the legal department. That was actually where they had met. Oddly, at first Grant hated Skye whereas Leo fancied her. That, however, changed when he met other people, and Grant slowly fell for Skye.  
Fitz was so distracted talking to his friend and giving her advice that he didn’t realize it was nearly eight and he still hadn’t put on his socks. He hurriedly put on the rest of his clothes in less than two minutes. He picked up his keys and his wallet before heading out the door, suddenly remembering he had left his phone on his bed; he ran back to his room, swearing loudly.

 

###  
He arrived just on time in front of the restaurant and nearly ran into his date, making himself feel more awkward than he already did. Fortunately Jemma just laughed it off casually and led them both inside the restaurant.  
They both headed for the nearest table and sat down. After a few seconds of loudly adjusting chairs and fidgeting, they settled down and stared at each other waiting for the other to break the silence first.   
“So, how are your exams going?” he shyly asked, starting to rearrange the utensils in front of him.   
“They’re going great. Thank you for asking.” She took up the menu and added, “How are yours?”  
“They’re more stressful than ever, what with the competition for funding from the Royal Academy. You’ve signed up too, right?”  
“No, I’ve got-” she pursed her lips, “There’s this research group that has great funding, so there’s no need for me to apply for the scholarship.”  
“Uh, that must be amazing. Is the funding limited to a specific research area or are you free to do any experiments of your own choice?”  
“I’m…umm… it’s pretty much like the Royal Scholarship. So I guess no restrictions”  
Waiting for their food, they passed the time by talking about an upcoming lecture by a pioneer in organic chemistry.  
“Wait, is this boring?” he asked after he thought that this was hardly a good topic for a first date.  
“Not at all, I love chemistry,” she chuckled. “After all, I’m a biochemistry major.”  
The conversation flowed more easily as the evening went on. Surprisingly, though, they didn’t just talk about science and exams, they also covered some more personal subjects too. They soon discovered that they had many things in common besides their love for science.  
“…which was just like when Harry’s name got in the Goblet of Fire.” This caused Jemma to loudly exclaim her excitement at that reference, alarming the tables around them and almost knocking over a glass.   
They exchanged opinions about lots of random topics varying from Italian cuisine to the magnificence of the bees. Fitz found out that Jemma played the piano and the cello and that she used to have a bunny when she was a kid, so he told her about the pet monkey he had in high school and how he lost him in the meadow near their home.  
He asked her about where she grew up but she hastily changed the subject, so Fitz decided not to ask again so that he wouldn’t make her feel uncomfortable. They somehow ended up talking about their most embarrassing high school stories over desert –which was a heavenly chocolate soufflé that they shared.   
Finished with their food, they were standing on the pavement outside the restaurant awkwardly gazing at each other. It was as if everything felt more uncomfortable when they were standing, or maybe that was because of the impending conclusion of their date.   
“Do you want me to give you a lift?” Jemma offered pointing at the ford parked right next to them.   
“That would be really nice of you,” he accepted her offer even though his flat was less than two blocks away.   
Even though Fitz thought that their dinner went quite well, he was still anxious to ask her out on another date. But he eventually did, acting on a sudden rush of emotions.

 

####  
The next day, they hung out in the library during Jemma’s shift, since exams made it difficult for them to go on actual dates. They spent a few hours just studying and occasionally talking. Afterwards, they went to Carter’s pub and had a few beers and just talked for a couple of hours.  
He felt much more relaxed around her now that he had realized that she was as prone to embarrassment as he was. Fitz was very open about his past, but Jemma, on the other hand, was really secretive and avoided answering anything regarding her family and her childhood. Fitz, assuming that there was some tragic event in her past, didn’t push the subject any further.   
Monday happened to be the sort of day that felt like summer had started; the sun was shining as brightly as it would the entire year, Fitz saw green everywhere his eyes wandered, and the birds were singing noisily. Jemma, being an outdoor person, suggested they take a walk in the campus before her last shift at the library.  
They were walking through the campus after they had both finished their last exams that day. Fitz was passionately talking about the M theory and its impact on various fields when Jemma suddenly stopped walking and interrupted him.  
“You know, Leo, I really can’t stand particle physics.”   
“Sorry, I thought you looked interested,” he shrugged, “You could talk about your favorite topic that is boring to me just to make it up.”  
“I guess I could,” she tucked a loosened strand back in her braid and talked with an excited tone, “What I really love about fungal pathogenesis is…”   
He tried really hard to keep up with her passionate descriptions, but soon her words were drowned out by the impact of her voice and how she said every word so passionately. He also got distracted by her smile and occasional frown when she got to a supposedly heated part of her argument. All through her entire monologue, her hand was hanging by her side brushing against his. By the end, their fingers were entwined and Fitz was no more interested in any kind of pathogens or pathogenesis, if that was what she was talking about.   
“You know I didn’t listen to what you just said past the first ten words,” he kept rubbing his thumb against the back of her hand, “But you could suggest some books so I can keep up with your biochemistry shenanigans.”  
“Oi, they’re not shenanigans.” She pinched his arm as she smiled at him despite her annoyance, “At least we don’t name particles after dairy products or suggest that the universe has eleven dimensions!”  
“Ha-ha, very funny.” He jokingly said, “It’s in fact twenty six, which you would have known if you had listened to me, and for your information, quark is really an easier name to learn and remember compared to pathogens.”  
Out of the blue, she turned towards him and pressed her lips against his, her left hand still holding his. He could feel his heart beating as fast as it did during PE, and his free hand was awkwardly stuffed into his pocket.   
When their lips parted a few seconds later; he pulled her close again making them almost crash into a nearby tree.  
“I’m so sorry-” he nervously said, “I almost tripped over this bloody water hose.”  
“Almost?” She elbowed him and kept walking towards the library.   
They walked the rest of the way in silence, just holding hands. They reached the marble steps of the library far too soon.  
“Do you want to have dinner tomorrow night?” he suggested shyly, “I can cook mac and cheese and we could watch some silly rom-com with ice cream or something.”   
“Yeah, okay. Text me your address.” She gave him a peck on the cheek before disappearing through the library entrance. 

 

###  
The next night, Skye and Grant were mysteriously absent from the flat which was nice since he could easily cook without any distractions, not that any were needed to turn the simplest meal into disaster. Jemma knocked at the door five minutes early with warm home-made pastries in hand.  
She was polite enough not to say anything about the food, which Fitz greatly appreciated. He tried making up for the food by providing chocolate and peppermint Ben and Jerry’s, hand-holding, and watching a movie called ‘Not another Happy Ending’.  
“By the way, why did you make me drive you here when you live just a block away from the restaurant?” she inquired in the middle of the film.  
“I did not make you drive me. You offered and I politely accepted.”  
“I live on the other side of the town!”  
“As you said I live just a block away, so I guess it wasn’t that much of a difference.”  
Suddenly the main door opened and Fitz’ roommates walked in arguing heatedly and started towards Grant’s room.  
“You never learn, do you?” Skye was pressing her index finger on Grant’s chest with an annoyed look on her face. Grant seemed angrier than Fitz had ever seen him; his hands balled at his sides, his nostrils were flaring and his jaw was clenched.  
“What do you want me to learn, Skye? Do you want me to follow you around like I used to?” his voice was loud and quivering a bit. “I seem to recall you hated that. You said it was like I was some-”  
“I never said that. You don’t need to tiptoe around me all the time, but you shouldn’t keep standing me up and lying to me.” they disappeared into the bedroom without seeing Fitz and Jemma on the couch who were watching them instead of their movie.  
“So that was my roommate, Grant Ward with his soon-to-be ex-girlfriend, Skye.” He offered an explanation. “They have a lot of drama.”  
“I should probably leave then.”   
“No. Stay, they’re not going to notice us here any time soon.”  
“Alright, if you say so.”  
Despite all the loud arguments from the next room they managed to watch the rest of the movie and have a decent time.

 

###  
Grant -having broken up with Skye again-or perhaps the other way around-spent more time with Fitz now. Skye and Grant both got to officially meet Jemma, although separately. They got along really well with her, especially Skye.   
They quickly became friends, and started hanging out together. They even hung out when Skye and Grant were both around, but that was mostly when there were more people around, like when they went to Trip’s party.  
Despite everything, it seemed like Skye and Grant were doing fine, or were at least pretending to. There wasn’t a lot of awkwardness when they were around each other, but they were still clearly upset with each other. However, Fitz knew quite well they would soon get back together.   
Everything was going smoothly; he and Jemma were doing so great together- except for a few times that they disagreed about some trivial information, like the likelihood of the Lochness monster, which made her really irritated and agitated. They had both done well on their exams; Fitz had aced all of his tests and was nervously waiting for the Academy to answer his application.   
Since Jemma had stopped working at the library, they had more time to spend together in the two months before he got the news from the Academy. They went on a lot of dates; had dinner at fancy restaurants, went to museums and art galleries, and even attended an Elton John concert. They had really great times together.   
They understood each other very well, they shared the same taste, and on top of everything, Jemma was undeniably one of the smartest and most intelligent people he ever knew. She was the sort of person he always dreamt of meeting. It was all too good to be true.   
After a while, they started spending more time sleeping at each other’s flats, mostly falling asleep after binge watching Doctor Who or sometimes just playing scrabbles with Grant or Skye-Jemma won most of the time, of course. But sometimes they stayed up late, talking about everything from science to strange Doctor Who theories.

 

###  
Fitz woke up to the loud voice of Grant yelling at him from beside his bed.  
“Ugh, you can wake me up without yelling.”  
“If I could you would’ve woken up two hours ago.”  
“What time is it?”  
“Ten.” Grant handed him a thick package, “This is for you, buddy.”  
“It’s from the Academy!”  
“Yep, arrived in this morning. Open it!”  
Nervous, he struggled to open the package.  
“Let me help you,” Grant grabbed it back and easily opened it. “You’ve got to relax a bit buddy.”  
“I can’t.” he was covering his face with his hands. “Read it for me, will you?”  
Grant gave him a questioning look, but proceeded opening the letter. His eyes traveling along as he read, while Fitz was rocking himself with his eyes still covered.  
“Fitz, stop it!” his roommate yelled and threw the letter at him. “You got in. With full scholarship.”  
“Really?”  
“YES. Jeez, man.” He shook his head. “Oh, you’ve got to go to this ball or something. The royal family and everybody else is gonna be there.”  
“Great, I’ll have to talk to them!” throwing the cover aside, he got up. “I’m going to make a bloody fool of myself.”  
“I’m really sorry, Leo. I wish I could make it.” She gave him an apologetic look. “I’ve got this thing with my family. I really have to go.”  
It was later that day in the afternoon. They were sitting on the couch, listening to music. And Jemma looked genuinely upset.  
“It’s okay. I don’t mind.” He put his arm around her and pressed his lips to her cheek. “I understand.”  
“We can celebrate tonight instead.” She beamed at him while pulling her hair into a ponytail. “We can order pizza and watch Grey’s Anatomy.”  
“That’d be cool.”  
“You could go with Skye. I’m sure she’d love that.”  
“I guess she would. There will be lots of alcohol and food, after all.” 

 

###  
The party’s venue was a magnificent neo-Gothic building, the inside decorated with purple and gold banners. The hall was already crowded with elegantly dressed guests; some dancing, some talking in little groups, and a few loitering in the corners alone.   
Fitz nervously adjusted his tie and straightened his coat. Looking around, he saw the royal family gathered at the far end of the room. Later he was supposed to sit with them through the entire dinner as one of the few people who were financially supported by them.  
Skye had helped him pick his outfit and she had made him wear a tie instead of a bowtie. She was wearing a turquoise floor-length dress and her hair was simply braided to the side. They were barely inside when she hurriedly whispered something in his ear about the ladies room and slipped away.   
He found an empty chair somewhere and sat there. He tried to look for someone he knew, but all the people there were strangers, or just people he only knew by name. So he got his phone out and texted Jemma, saying that Skye had already bailed on him. He was about to send her another text when Skye just materialized in front of him.  
“Hey, wanna see the botanical garden outside?”  
“What?” he frowned, confused. “You know the actual party is here, right?”  
“Yep, but I’ve read that they’ve got some very rare species here.”  
“I didn’t know you were into plants.”  
“I am. I LOVE plants a lot.”  
“Whatever. You can go; I’m just going to sit here.”  
“Oh, come on Leo. You really should see those flowers, they smell really nice.”  
“I’m sure they do, as do most other flowers.”  
“Just come with me, please?”  
Fitz just rolled his eyes at her and got up.  
Skye just kept dragging him around the garden for at least thirty minutes before his protests finally worked and they got back into the hall.  
“God, Skye, you’re being really weird tonight. First, you disappear as soon as we step in here; then you insist on seeing some plants which you know less about than I do.” He added with some sarcasm, “At least, I’ll be dining with the royalty, not you.”  
“Well, you can stay with me and use this awesome buffet they have here.” She gave him her usual devious smirk, “Looks like they’ve got lobster.”  
“I’m pretty sure I’m sort of obliged to eat there.” He tried to free his hand from her grip.  
“Come on, you can ditch them.” She put on a faux-pout, which made her look childish in a not-so-cute way.  
“I wish I could,” he half-smiled at her. “Sorry, Skye.”  
Hands in his pockets, he slowly walked towards the big table set up at the other side of the hall. Even from so far, it looked like everybody was already sat there, exchanging pleasantries and making small talk. He tried to straighten up his back as he got closer, and in a moment of distraction collided with a slim figure wrapped in a green silk dress.  
“Sorry-” he was torn between surprise and confusion as he saw who he had run into. “Jemma?”  
“Um-”   
Before she could answer him a girl passing suddenly grabbed Jemma by the hand and loudly exclaimed, “Princess Jemma!”  
As she was dragged away by that girl, she tried to say something but no words came out of her mouth.  
“Hey, Fitz.” Skye just appeared behind him, dragging him by his sleeve. “Fitz, can I talk to you for a sec, please?”  
He turned around expecting to see Skye as perplexed as he was, but she looked quite unsurprised.   
“You’re going to need a drink for this.”


End file.
